The Hushed Hearth, Stave 3

Stave 1 : Stave 2 : Stave 3 : Stave 4 : Stave 5

Erin was up and around the fireplace in a dash. Riley was stuck somewhere between standing and being flabbergasted. A moment later, Erin was leading a couple to the table, taking their coats and putting them over the back of one of the chairs of a nearby table. The couple was striking; the man’s short cut salt-and-pepper hair was neatly styled to match his much more salty than peppery trimmed beard, and the lady’s straight faded auburn locks were elegantly braided and worn Dutch-style. They were both dressed with what would best be described as casual formality. The man had a bowler hat in his hand and wore a loose suit-style vest over his long-sleeved white button down shirt. The lady’s pants were beyond bell-bottoms, with the legs flowing widely enough to drape like a skirt. They perfectly matched what must have been a custom-fitted blazer-style blouse.

They gave the appearance of being middle-aged, but they also exuded an energy that led one to think they were much younger. They both nodded to Skyler, who returned the nod. For a moment, Riley could have sworn that the greeting was more familiar than it was polite, but the thought was interrupted by Erin suggesting that Riley get the couple seated while she made up two more plates. Riley did so, pulling out the chairs next to Skyler and offering them to the couple.

As they sat down, the introduced themselves. “Hi, we’re Reed and Elys Foster.”

Riley smiled uncertainly at them, feeling like those names and their faces seemed familiar, then it struck him.

“Are you related to Blake Foster?”

“Yup, we’re part of that Foster clan,” replied Reed with a wink at Riley.

“They have so much family in town this season!” declared Elys, laughing. “It’s one of the reasons we’re here — there’s no room at their inn!”

“We wanted to come by here one way or the other,” continued Reed. “Especially given our history with this place.” He took a moment to look around the dining room, apparently lost in thought as Erin returned with plates full Christmas Eve dinner for them.

“Well, if it’s a room you need, we can definitely oblige. How long do you think you’ll be staying?” asked Riley.

“Oh, probably just the night. We’ll… be leaving town again tomorrow,” said Reed.

Riley looked a little disappointed, but opened the guest book and wrote their names in it: Reed and Elise Foster, 12/24/2024

“It’s spelled E-L-Y-S, dear,” said Elys, seeming to know that he’d written it down incorrectly. He fixed the mistake, then introduced himself, Erin, and Skyler.

“Did I hear you say you had a history with the Hushed Hearth Inn?” asked Erin.

“Oh yes. The entire Foster family does, actually,” stated Reed.

“Interesting, I don’t think Blake’s ever mentioned it,” said Riley.

“Well, it’s a hundred-year-old story at this point, and didn’t affect his side of the family nearly as much,” Elys answered. “Are you interested in hearing about it?”

“Definitely,” Erin replied. “This seems to be the night for stories about the inn.”

Reed nodded. “Good! Although it begins with tragedy…” he said, directing his gaze at the fire burning in the hearth.

***

“The year was 1919, and the winter that year was much like this one. Andrew and Katherine Foster owned a small farm just outside of town. Life was hard for them, but they managed… until the fire. They lost everything — the house, the barn, even the animals, and the crops hadn’t been very good that year, so they had no money either. They had no family nearby and no roof over their heads as a dreadful Christmas Eve storm blew in.”

Reed paused, and Elys seamlessly took over the narrative. “With nowhere else to go, the couple wandered into town, cold and hungry, hoping for anything. They arrived at the door of the Hushed Hearth Inn.” Elys paused long enough to look around the dining room, smiling as she did. Then she continued with, “The proprietors at the time… Sydney and Devin were their names, if I recall correctly, took them in without hesitation.”

“Devin and Sydney… I think they were your great-great grandparents, right?” Erin asked Riley. Riley nodded, not having ever heard any of this from anyone in his family.

Reed picked up the story again. “Sydney and Devin gave the Fosters a room, food, clean clothing, and told them to rest. The Fosters didn’t intend to stay more than was required to wait out the storm, but Devin and Sydney wouldn’t hear of them leaving.”

“’You’ll stay until you’re back on your feet!’ was the quote, I believe,” said Elys. “And Sydney and Devin were true to their word. They were more than generous with the Fosters. Sydney taught Katherine the secrets of cooking meals for large crowds in the kitchen as well as how to sew sturdy clothes from pretty much anything that could be sewn. Devin and Andrew went out every day from dawn until dusk, working to clear a patch of ground on the Foster’s property and rebuild the farm house.”

“As soon as it was clear enough, Devin gathered some able-bodied men of the town, and together with Andrew, they managed to rebuild the house and barn before the first Spring thaw. The Fosters continued to live at the Hushed Hearth Inn, which had become their second home, and Sydney and Devin, their second family.” 

As Reed stopped for a sip of whatever Christmas Cheer Erin had poured for them all, Elys continued the tale. “However, once the Spring came around, the Fosters realized they had a decision to make. They were originally from New York, and Andrew had a brother still there that had contacted them during the winter. He was looking for a change of scenery and occupation. Gerald was his name, and he published a small New England periodical, but wanted to follow in Andrew and Katherine’s footsteps and live a farmer’s life.”

“The Fosters had been struggling with the decision for weeks, but once the house and barn were finished, and the fields ready for planting, and a few livestock were available, they realized that New York was calling them home. They wound up selling their farm to Gerald for a fair price, and moved back to take over his periodical business.”

Reed wrapped the story up with, “But they never forgot the kindness that was shown to them at the Hushed Hearth Inn. After losing what they thought was everything, they gained more than they could have imagined. They remained ever grateful to this place.”

“There’s a lesson in that for all of us, I think,” finished Elys. “Even in the worst of times, small acts of generosity can create ripples of goodwill that cannot be measured.”

***

Reed and Elys gazed at each other for a moment, then turned to look at Riley at the same time. “Did you enjoy that story?” Elys asked?

“Oh yes!” replied Erin before Riley had the chance to. “It seems exactly like the kind of thing that Riley’s great-great-grand’s would have done!”

Reed nodded. “Yes, indeed. This place,” he said, gesturing around to take in the whole inn, much like Skyler had done, “tends to bring out the best in people, doesn’t it?”

Erin nodded back at Reed, then said, “Goodness, we should eat! Otherwise, this food’s going to get cold!”

“You’ll have to put Riley’s back on the stove, dear,” said a stranger’s voice, coming from the other side of the fireplace. A moment later, an ancient, squat, but obviously hale woman came into view, pulling off a thick woolen cap, the kind with ear flaps. “He and I have business to attend to first.”